Pages

Monday, May 2, 2016

Endless Interview!

Howdy! A to Z was crazy right? Amazing stuff out there, and I'm still going through the backlog.

And no rest for the wicked, I'm kicking off May with an interview with Misha for her book Endless!

Here we go:

What inspired this book?

It started because I went through a phase of reading and watching more than my usual helping of vampire fiction. I wanted to write about something other than vampires, though, so I got stuck on the concept for about two years.

A weekend spent playing Assassin's Creed II made the idea fall into place for me.

Did you have anything specific in mind when you wrote it?

Yeah I wanted the story to center around an immortal with amnesia, who falls in love with an immortal who helps her, but who turns out to be from an enemy faction.

But after that weekend, I realized I wanted it to be more than enemy factions, I wanted it to be about two differentkinds of immortals entirely.

Chocolate or steak?

Both.

Where do you love to write?

Anywhere, although I can't write in company. Like... I can write in a restaurant full of people, but not if any of them are sitting at the same table as me.

What is your least favorite trope?

Deus ex Machina. An answer just appearing out of the ether to solve things for the characters is just sloppy writing.

And last but not least, How do you handle those days when you just don't feel the muse?

I work on multiple projects in various stages of completion. So on days where I just don't feel like writing, I'll edit another project.

W00t! Thanks for stopping by the blog, Misha!

About the Book

“First, do no harm.” Blake Ryan swore that oath to become a doctor.
Ironic, given that he spent most of his thousand year life sucking souls out of
other immortals.

Things are different now. Using regular shots of morphine to keep his inner
monster at bay, Ryan has led a quiet life since the Second World War. His
thrills now come from saving lives, not taking them.

Until a plane crash brings Aleria into his hospital. Her life is vibrant. Crack
to predators like him. She’s the exact sort of person they would hunt, and
thanks to a severe case of amnesia, she’s all but defenseless.

Leaving Aleria vulnerable isn’t an option, but protecting her means unleashing
his own inner monster. Which is a problem, because his inner monster wants her
dead most of all.

This had to be what dying felt like.
Floating outside my body, waiting for that final link to my life to be severed,
only vaguely aware of indescribable pain. More screams than I could count rose
up around me. Hundreds of footsteps beat against tiles. I couldn’t open my eyes
if I wanted to. Not when it was easier to listen and wait. People shouted for a
doctor or an IV, or a thousand other things that made no sense. I listened to
all the chaos, trying to untangle it in my thoughts.

Soon, I could go. The peace around
me was so relaxing, completely out of place in the clamor I heard. I wanted it.
To rest forever in that peace. Why not? There was a very good reason, but I
couldn’t call it to mind.

A numb buzz shot through my body and
shattered my serenity.

It happened again. Only this time
was more of a sharp pulse. The third time jolted like lightning. The
fourth…Hell. Suddenly, the screams were coming from me. My heart’s relentless
thundering added to my torment.

Pain.

Everywhere.

My chest burned like fire. It hurt
to breathe. Cold air drove down my throat and into my lungs, amplifying the
inferno in my chest. My skin felt scorched. It couldn’t be. It wasn’t right.

I had to see. I had to understand
why pain dominated my existence like this. My eyes were fused shut. My breaths
grew shallow, trying to draw air when there was none. I tried to clench my
teeth. I bit hard plastic. A pipe. Cold air suddenly forced back into my lungs,
out of time with my own breathing. This was wrong. It wasn’t safe. I had to
see. The best I got was a little fluttering of my lashes.

A high-pitched beep shot through my
head. It repeated again and again. I wanted to reach over and slam my fist into
its source. My arm wouldn’t lift. Something kept it trapped. A scream rose up
from the depths of my soul, but the pipe jammed inside my throat stifled the
sound. I only managed a whimper, trying my best not to gag. More air blasted
into my lungs against my will. What was going on? I was trapped in my own body,
but why?

I needed to move. I had to move.
Now. Before… Even… Even though… Panic gripped me. The beeps increased at a
frenetic pace. I needed to move. To
be gone. Didn’t matter where. Just not here. Not defenseless. Not trapped.

The air sucked out of my lungs. I
gasped, choking on nothing, strangled by invisible fingers. I tried to convulse
my body. To twist myself free of what’s holding me.

Nothing.

The air rushed back in a cold flood.
Seconds later it left, only to return in the same amount of time.

There was a rhythm to the air. In…
out... in… out… The breaths were slow—sleep-like. I concentrated on this
rhythm, striving to clear my head. If I wanted out, I needed to think. Calmly.
Clearly. Eventually, those irritating beeps slowed. I tried to focus past the
sound.

Voices buzzed about me, adding to my
need to see, to do something to protect myself. No one seemed to pay attention
to me. Good. I could use that to my advantage.

I centered my every thought on
moving my little finger. It finally jerked, but collided against something
solid. So the thing trapping my arm was physical and too heavy for me to lift.
It was better to be trapped than paralyzed. With luck I could escape my
restraints. I tried my other hand, but it was cemented stuck as well. Right
leg. Left leg. Damn it! Both trapped. I had to move!

No.

No, I needed to stay calm. I tried
to make larger movements, biting the pipe in my mouth against the urge to
scream in pain. There was no wiggle room.

Fearing that I might be blindfolded,
I focused on blinking. It worked. My eyes opened and the blur faded, revealing ceiling
tiles. Why would there be tiles? Where was the canvas of hospital tents? The
distant sounds of bombs dropping? The power of their explosions rushing through
my blood?